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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a lid
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rush — hurry
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. ball — a great time
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. snap — to click
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rash — a series
  18. cap — a hat
  19. kid — child
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to speak sharply

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com